Queens and Kings
by CaroX
Summary: At 17, Celiel lost her parents, had to take care of her little brother and on top of that she had to lead her country without guidance from her mother or her father. At the age of 35, she joined a quest to destroy a ring and attempted to save her kingdom and Middle Earth from the cruel ways of Sauron. Read her story of love, adventure, frustration, anger, sadness and so much more.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, I just wanted to start off by explaining some things about this fanfiction. This is not my first attempt at writing one, considering I'm currently also writing a fanfiction about Harry Potter, but this is my first try at a fanfiction about Lord of the Rings.**

 **I have tried to keep to the world of Tolkien, but I'm afraid there may be some slight adjustments to it or some small mistakes that I've made. I also have tried to keep to the language and the manner of speaking they did in the old days and in Middle Earth, but I'm no expert so I hope you'll excuse any faults that I made and maybe give me some advice to prevent them in the future.**

 **Okay, so basically what I did was add another kingdom into Middle Earth. It is called Sadain and lays north of Mordor. I'll give a quick description of it at the end of this message for those who want to read it, those who don't can just skip over it and start reading the story.**

 **Now, I've noticed that each race has its own tongue, its own language so naturally I had to add in one too. This language exists for real, it's Latin. I study it and while it may not always be correct, I'll do my best.**

 **I did my best to let Celiel appear like a normal person, but you have to keep in mind that she is a queen and that she has to appear perfect for her people. While she appears perfect, she certainly isn't and you'll discover that more and more as the story goes on.**

 **This is an Aragorn fanfiction, I'm going to announce that right now so that any readers who ship Aragorn and Arwen and don't want to read about Aragorn with any other woman can stop reading before they even begin. While I love Arwen and Aragorn as a couple, I've decided that they aren't going to be together in this story at all, as it doesn't make sense. I don't think anyone can fall in love with another so quickly after they parted with their last lover.**

 **I don't own any characters from Lord of the Rings, but what I do own is the kingdom of Sadain, the people who live in it, Celiel and her family and any parts of the story that you don't recognize.**

 **As for my updating pattern, I update when I have the time. So it can be that I update, and update again two days later, or that I update and then update after two weeks or even a month.**

 **So, that was about all I had to say for now, if I have anything to add I'll let you know. Feel free to ask any questions that you have, give criticism in a kind way please. I'll be friendly to you if you are friendly to me.**

 **Here is a quick description of Sadain. My inspiration for Sadain comes from Avatar the last Airbender. While it may be a bit childish, there truly are some magnificent things in children series and Sadain is sort of based on Ba Sing Se but with some things I added. If you look up a map of Ba Sing Se, you'll see that the city is divided in three parts. Sadain is divided into four. You have the Outer Wall (also named the first wall), and from the Outer wall to the Second wall farmers and all sorts of regular people live. Little villages are spread across this part, people breed cattle, work in agriculture or fish in the river for a living. From the Second wall to the Third Wall is center of the army. There, the soldiers sleep, is the armory, are a lot of smithies… From the Third Wall to the Inner Wall, it is the same as the Outer wall to the Second wall. Again, there are little villages and so forth. Behind the inner wall is the Capital City. There are normal people, a small bit of the army is also present, lots of marketplaces, stores, houses. In the middle of the Capital City of Sadain stands the palace. It is an enormous building and guarded heavily. There, the queen and king reside together with their family. It is a safety place, a strong hold where the people of the Capital City go if the enemy manages to break through the defenses (which has never happened before).**

 **Sadain is the most protected kingdom in all of Middle Earth. A river runs through the heart of it, from south to north. It streams right under the palace. Every time the river crosses a wall (that happens twice for every wall), there are two watch towers, except when the second wall and the inner wall meet the river. Again, at every crossing there is a gate, which the guards of the watch towers have to open to let fishermen and other folk through. On either sides of the river, there is a wall also, of the same height as the main ones but narrower, for the army to travel from watch tower to watch tower. Perpendicular on the river, a long road lies. It is called the Main Road and is the only way to travel between the levels (for example the space between the Outer wall and the Second wall is a level). Again, every time a wall crosses this road, watch towers stand guard and there is a gate. This time it is on every crossing, not only on the outer and third wall. On the Outer wall, from Road to river there are every time 5 watch towers, so in total there are 20 watch towers on the outer wall, not counting the ones on the Main Road and the river.**

 **I hope that gives you a slight vision of the Great Kingdom of Sadain. Oh, and before I forget, keep in mind that Sadain is a very big kingdom. The journey in total from the West Gate to the East gate (the gates on the Outer Wall of the Main Road) is about a four days travel. It is THAT big.**

 **So, for the first chapter, there are some flashbacks and a lot of years go by in one chapter. If some things are unclear, ask me and I'll answer your quesion as best as I can.**

 **A quick note, if any of you have seen Thor the Dark World, imagine the funeral exactly like the one in that movie.**

 **Hope you enjoy this chapter.**

 _In the year 3000 of the third age (she is 17 years old)_

 _"_ _Mother! I want to go on an adventure. Go with me!"_

 _"_ _Where will we be going, my love?"_

 _"_ _To wherever we want to, mother. Come, come, or they will leave without us!" I urged her, my nine-year old hand fitting comfortably in her larger one._

 _"_ _All right, all right, I'm coming." She laughed and followed me to wherever I desired to go._

With tears in my eyes, I watched as my mother's body was set on fire further down the river in her boat. There was a sea of black surrounding the water, everybody was wearing black and mourning the death of their queen. It was a great loss that we have suffered, and it will not pass quickly.

 _"_ _Lean a little bit forward, darling, and hold the reins lower. The horse cannot see where it is going." My father said next to me, holding up his hands to catch me if I fell off the high horse he has set me on._

 _"_ _Father, I'm scared. What if I fall?"_

 _"_ _You will not fall, darling. I am right here beside you. Now, do as I say and hold the reins lower." Indeed, when I held them lower, everything was smoother and easier. Joy filled me at the thought of finally being able to ride a horse._

 _"_ _Father, father! Look! I am doing it!" I laughed loudly, and urged the horse to go quicker._

 _"_ _Good job, darling!"_

Because we do not only mourn my mother, but my father as well. They died side by side in battle, just like they had always wanted. It's a pity they died in the first place, but no matter how much I may want it, the past cannot be changed. I am alone now, alone to take care of my little brother. And I will do so with great will and much love, for I am the only family he has left.

 _"_ _Celiel, come and look at the new addition to the family." My father gently led me into my parents' bedroom, where my mother lay upon the bed. Sweat was spread in a thick layer on her skin and her hair was disheveled, but that was not what held my attention. There was a baby, my brother, in her arms, his hair as black as the night and his eyes not yet open to the world. He was tiny._

 _"_ _What is his name?" I looked at my mother, wanting an answer to my question desperately._

 _"_ _Béotil. You can call him Béotil."_

"Give the sign."

The other boats that bore the bodies of the fallen soldiers set sail after those of my father and mother. Fire flickered rapidly, the sight beautiful to behold but at the same time sad that we have to see it.

"My lady, now may not be an appropriate time to discuss this but it must be done eventually. We must talk about your crowning." Sighing quietly but keeping my head up, I gave the slowly burning corpses of my people a final glance before turning around and regarding the advisor that spoke up.

"Very well, let us speak of it behind closed doors." With that, other advisors and several people of the court followed me up the steps of the palace.

 _In the year 3001 of the third age (she is 18 years old)_

Councils and meetings took a lot of restraint; I had almost no patience for the arguments amongst the advisors and councilmen and my temper always flared when one dared question my decisions. I knew they saw me still as a little girl who had no business in these matters but sadly for them, I am leader of this country and not them. Currently we were discussing the increased attacks along the southern part of the outer wall. Due to these attacks, the harvest has decreased at least 25% and if they were not going to stop soon, my people would suffer from hunger. Already, farmers and those who lived in the farthest part of Sadain were moving behind the third or even the inner wall.

"We should send a large devision of the army to settle there and fight until Sauron gives up."

"You fool! Sauron will never give up. If we are to send even more men there, they will not return."

"Yet we cannot allow those foul creatures to breach our walls and slaughter our people."

Sighing deeply, I rubbed my forehead and gritted my teeth out of irritation. Once they began to fight, they never stopped.

"What about an ambush? We could travel through the Western Main Gate and march along the wall to the southern part where we could slaughter them."

"Again with the silly suggestions? They will see us coming from a mile away. "

"Then they will see us from a mile away!"

"It is no ambush if we do not have the element of surprise, you fool! Think before you speak."

"Enough!" I spoke up, rising out of my chair and watching the men who would not shut up. "Enough with the petty arguing. There are more important matters at hand than your rivalry." Exhausted, I let myself fall down in my chair again. Everyone was silent, all were looking at me for the final decision.

"I will go there myself with the part of the Sadonian army which remains and we will drive the enemy back through the mountain pass into Mordor. More watch towers will have to be built and the security at the river will be heightened. I will not have the forces of Mordor come into my kingdom and destroy its beautiful land. We travel in two days, make sure my army is ready for the journey." With that being said, I stood up and made my way towards the door to leave the room, ignoring the many protests that came my way.

 _In the year 3009 of the third age (she is 26 years old)_

"Sister?"

I looked up from my paperwork at smiled at my 12 year old brother. At the age of 26, I had a lot of paperwork to do. Others used to do it for me but ever since my twentieth birthday, they have shoved all duties of both a queen and a king upon me due to being unmarried still.

"Yes, my dear brother? What is it you need?" Putting my quill down, I stood up and stretched. The long hours sitting down behind my desk had put a strain on my muscles. My brother watched me for a second before asking me to teach him how to ride a horse.

"I don't have much time, Béotil. I have to read all these reports by tonight."

"Please sister. You haven't spent much time with me lately and I miss your company." He pleaded with me.

"Oh, all right. Not for long, though. I have to return to this room in two hours. Deal?" After I received an eager nod, we both made our way to the stables.

 _In the year 3015 (she is 32 years old)_

"Your majesty, someone seeks an audience with you. He says he is an old friend."

"Let him in." The guard nodded and opened the door of the throne room. In the doorway stood a man, old and gray. His cloak was full of stains, his face full of mud and his hair greasy, yet I recognized him immediately.

"Mithrandir." I said and stood up from my throne in surprise. He smiled in response and walked further into the room. "What brings you to Sadain, my friend?"

"Knowledge, my lady. I seek knowledge on a subject which must remain unkown." My brow furrowed at the answer I was given.

"If you deem it that important, Mithrandir, then I will grant you access to the palace's library. But first, my friend, you must rest and eat. I will not allow any guest of mine to die of starvation or sleep deprivation."

"Thank you, my lady. That is utmost kind of you." He bowed before me and I descended the stairs which led to my throne to escort him to his chambers myself.

"Tell me, Mithrandir. Have you traveled far?"

"Nay, my lady. I travel from Minas Tirith. I am afraid I have a long journey yet ahead of me."

"Then I will see to it that you are prepared for that journey." I informed him, stopping when we reached a guest room in the royal quarters.

"Now rest, my friend. My handmaidens will bring you clean clothes, which you can wear until yours are neat once again. Will you join me and my brother for dinner tonight?"

"I would be honored, my lady."

 _In the year 3017 of the third age (she is 34 years old)_

"Tell me, for what reason would Sauron's filth be crossing my domain yet not attack my kingdom?"

The beast before me only laughed at spit at the ground, looking me in the eyes the whole time. These Uruk-hai were certainly bolder then the orcs which have attacked our lands these past few years.

"You were traveling west, perhaps to Rohan or one of the elven realms."

It grinned at me but said nothing still.

"If you are to test my patience, I assure you, you will have to wait long."

Nothing.

"What I do not understand is the reason why you chose to disgrace my lands with your presence. You could have easily traveled through Minas Morgul or the Black Gate but you chose a longer way. Why?" My eyes narrowed at the creature, who gave up nothing of his journey west. His silence infuriated me but I did not let it show. It would only use it to his advantage.

"Daft whore. If you think hard enough, you could figure it out on your own."

"Ah, so you do speak." I sat straighter on my throne. Its words did not bother me for I have heard worse.

"It is funny to see you so frustrated, _my queen_." It spat out my title, mocking me.

"Do not taunt me, filth. You will not like the outcome if you do."

"I will do as I please, harlot, whether you like it or not."

"Take him downstairs. We will see if he'll talk after we're done with him."

The guards dragged the still grinning creature away. It never looked away from my eyes, it never protested to what we were doing to him and never did his journey nor the reason for it slip my mind.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi guys, here is chapter 2.**

 **Instead of using Dutch, which lies fairly close to English sometimes, I have decided to use Latin as the other language.**

 **parvus hominus = a small person. I know that may be confused with dwarves, but it is ment for the hobbits.**

 **plural, this is parvus homini**

 **hominus sub humus = a person under the ground. This is a dwarf.**

 **plural, this is homini sub humus.**

 **verus? = seriously?**

 **With this chapter, I have decided to make it obvious that there are people who doubt the reign of Celiel and who doubt her capabilities. Also, the first meeting with Aragorn is in this chapter. The council of Elrond too.** **There is a small argument between Boromir and Celiel, and it's origin will become known in this chapter.**

 **If you have any questions, do not be afraid to ask.**

 **Enjoy**

"Brother, I have received word from Elrond of Rivendell. He calls together a council and he wishes me to be present." I said, walking beside him towards the conference room to discuss the news that I had just heard of a messenger.

"When will it be held?" My 21 year old brother held open the door for me and after thanking him, I stepped inside and turned towards him when he followed me in.

"In seven days, which means that I have to leave tonight in the cover of darkness to make it on time." A nervous look was shared, for the darkness in the wild was never safe. Creatures of Sauron's making dwelled in the dark, and while I could defend myself fairly, Sauron's forces were not built on skill but on number. If I were to encounter a large group of orcs on my own in the dark, there would be a chance that I wouldn't survive.

"So be it. You must make haste, Celiel. If it were not important, Lord Elrond would not have called for you to be there."

"I know brother, I know."

Things were handled quickly. My brother was to remain and lead the country in my stead, for it would be a good lesson for when he was going to be king. I would have half a dozen of soldiers with me to protect me and I was to come back after the council with a report of the things discussed.

So, that night, I had went to the kitchen and asked the kitchen maids to prepare food for seven for ten days -you may never know when things go wrong and we are delayed-, I had packed a dress for the council itself and had packed a pair of spare clothes. A map was put into a bag for me to carry, together with a circlet for my 'image', according to my personal seamstress. I would wear my armor for the whole journey there, my sword was cleaned, polished and sharpened -even though it was always clean, polished and sharp- and my quiver of arrows was filled, my bow was tested to see if it wasn't sabotaged, my hair was done in an updo far too complicated for the wild and I was declared ready to go by the time the sun went under and the moon was up in the sky.

"Beotil, I know you will do well as the leader of Sadain. I hope that I won't be gone for too long, but I have a slight feeling it may be a while before I see Sadain again. I love you, brother." I put my hands on my brother's cheeks and rubbed them softly with my thumbs. He simply smiled, always being the one to choose deeds over words, and hugged me tightly.

"I will miss you too, sister. Take care." With a last kiss to his cheek, I pulled back and walked towards the company with whom I would travel. After I mounted my horse, I have a final wave to my brother before urging my horse to gallop down the Main Road towards the Western gate.

The Misty Mountains were a sight to behold. The peaks stood out high and tall from the clouds that surrounded them. A far away waterfall made a calming sound as its water cascaded down. Animals, whom I have not seen before for we have none in the Ered Lithui, wandered in the forests and plains at the mountains' feet. It was much different from the mountains that encased Mordor. There was no permanent orange glow that came from the evil that was present there. No orc cries filled the air at night, though I knew that they were also present in these mountains. It was calm, peaceful even.

While I loved my realm dearly and wouldn't trade it for the world, there was one thing I hated about it. Its position. The beautiful land constantly lay under the shadow that came from Modor these days. The people of Sadain grew restless, worried about their safeties despite the famous reputation of our impenetrable walls. They were not to blame, of course. Nobody was truly safe. Ever the threat of an attack was present, and they knew it. There was always a chance that the enemy would break into Sadain and slaughter its people. Yet I couldn't let my fear and worry become evident, for who was to have faith if not their queen?

"My lady? We should continue on our trip. Isengard isn't safe anymore."

"No, it is not." I agreed and walked to my horse, mounting it after I reached it. It went by the name of Gena, a white mare with soft grey dots that coated her pelt. She was truly beautiful and had been with me in many skirmishes and battles. A loyal horse indeed, and while she was no horse of Rohan, she could certainly give them a run for their money.

"Come, we must make haste. I fear Lord Elrond will not wait long if we were to arrive late." After I took one last look at the mountains before me, I turned around and began galloping down the hill, my company following swiftly.

We rode for two more days along the North-South road until we reached the small town of Bree, after which we turned northeast for another two days and followed the East-West road. When we reached our destination, we were welcomed with open arms by Arwen Undómiel, Lord Elrond's daughter. I was led to the dining hall at my request after I had dismissed my soldiers.

"How was your journey here, my lady?" Arwen asked me, leading me through the halls of her father once more after I was done eating. Imladris was an even more beautiful sight to see than the Misty Mountains. The famous gardens of Rivendell held true to their stories, the flowers filling my nose with their scents and the fountains shimmering with their clear water. Nature was the base of this city, you could feel it in the air.

"Exhausting, but we had no trouble along the way."

"My handmaidens have drawn you a bath, my lady. Do you require help to get ready for the council tomorrow? Perhaps a dress, or someone to do your hair?" She said when we had reached my room after five minutes of silence.

"No thank you, lady Arwen. I have brought my own dress and while I am certainly no expert in doing my hair, I think I can manage." I politely declined, admiring the room. A settee stood against the farthest wall next to an open window. My bed was to my right, the covers a lovely shimmering white with flowers on it. On my left there was the bathroom where, like Arwen said, a bath was drawn for me. A small wardrobe stood on the bathroom's left wall, some towels, lotions and shampoo laying upon it. The room was lovely.

"I will leave you now to bathe, my lady." Arwen bowed her head once more before turning around to leave the room.

"Lady Arwen?"

"Yes, my lady?" She paused in the door opening, looking back at me.

"I am of no more royal blood then you, my lady. Call me Celiel."

"Thank you, Lady Celiel." With a bright smile, she left my room.

After my bath, I decided to walk around Rivendell and explore it a bit, seeing as I had never been in Imladris before and I was curious as to what I would find. Exiting my room, I went left and hoped I would not get lost, because while I may have been good in remembering things, it was still a new place and it would take a while before I would know my way around here.

"Excuse me, my lady, but I was wondering if you could lead me to the kitchens. You see, I have been to the dining hall many times but I'm hungry and there was no food left and I don't know the way to the kitchens." A small person, perhaps at the most 4 feet tall, and his companion of the same size asked me when I turned the corner. He had dark brown, almost black, hair and a beautiful pair of blue eyes. His friend, while not chubby at all, had wider shoulders and a blond/ginger haircut.

"Sorry, my dear hobbit, but I only arrived not even an hour ago and have not been to the kitchens either. Maybe you should ask the Lady Arwen or Lord Elrond, or any elf that dwells here." I suggested, smiling brightly at the _parvus homini_ before me.

"Oh, sorry my lady. We thought that you were an elven maid. We apologize deeply for our mistake, my lady." The black haired hobbit apologized immediately with a slightly ashamed look on his face. Meanwhile, I was blushing at the compliment. Ellith were considered to be the fairest women to walk Middle Earth, and while I had received many such compliments in my younger days, they lessened the more I grew older.

"You have nothing to be ashamed of, my friends. I am deeply honored and flattered that you mistook me for an elleth. Though, I'll have to disappoint you once again. I am no immortal being, just a woman of great wealth."

"Thank you, my lady. I hope you can forgive us, but we should go find someone who can direct us to the kitchens. Mister Frodo here has a lot of healing to do and that won't go if he doesn't have anything to eat." Frodo's companion spoke up, interrupting Frodo's sentence before it even began.

"Of course, my lords. As you wish. Enjoy your meal, mister Frodo."

As they passed me to walk in the direction from where I just came, I heard Frodo scold his companion for his rudeness and Sam –that was what Frodo called him- apologizing to his friend. I took no offence, though, for I knew that Sam was concerned about his friend and being polite was not his priority at the moment.

I dwelled the corridors a couple more minutes before finding a large library. Assuming it was for everyone to explore, I walked inside and wandered the many rows of books. Most were in Sindarin, the language of the elves, but here and there, I saw some books in the common tongue. Many subjects were discussed, as some talked about the life in Valinor, and some talked about food, there were also a couple who described animals and plants, some were about fighting techniques and others were of weapons and how to use them. The deeper I walked into the library, the more paintings I saw. When I saw the first, I didn't recognize what it was about. The second was a bit more familiar and by the third, I knew it told the tale of the defeat of Sauron.

At the end of the line, in a room apart from the rest, was a large painting that covered almost an entire section of the wall. On the ground at the foot of a mountain lay a man in uniform, Isildur I assume, for he held up a broken sword. Next to him, his father lay dead and above him, Sauron stood in all his 'might and glory'. Fascinated by the tale and astonished at how well the details of the painting were brought forth, I touched Isildur's face slightly. My fingers then trailed towards the broken sword he held in his hand. It must have been a strong sword, an honor to fight with it. I was startled out of my daze by the voice of a man behind me.

"Isildur's sword, Narsil. Its shards lay here on this shrine, if you want to admire it for real."

Quickly turning around, I noticed a tall man standing before the statue of a woman. The statue held the shards aloft on a soft blanket. Even in this state, broken, it was still a sight to behold. One could tell by merely gazing upon it that it was a mighty sword. The man startled me once again by picking up the hilt of the sword and holding it out to me. His grey eyes looked into my own blue ones, urging me to take it and feel for myself how powerful it was. Hesitating, I carefully grasped it and held it before me. It surprised me how light it was. Even though the blade was only one third long of how it used to be, I still expected it to weigh a fair bit.

"It's so light." I breathed, my eyes taking in every detail of the hilt and blade. I was so focused on the sword that I failed to see the amused smile of the man who gave it to me, or the slight twinkle in his eyes. When I got no reaction, I looked towards him and saw the look he gave me. Blushing slightly, I carefully put it back in its place and stepped back down the stairs.

"Sorry, my lord. My fascination with it comes from the many tales I was told of this sword when I was younger. I always wanted to see it."

"You owe me no explanation, my lady. Though it seems you have grown up with too much fascination of this sword, and I have grown up with too few."

I waited for him to elaborate, but when he gave me no further explanation, I didn't push for one and merely sat down on the bench to the side of the room.

"Join me, my lord…" I trailed off, waiting for him to say his name so that I could finally put a name to his face.

"Aragorn." He sat down next to me and watched me for a moment with his piercing grey eyes.

"You know my name now, my lady, but it seems that I do not yet know yours."

"My name is Celiel." I withheld my title on purpose, not wanting to put any attention to the fact that I am a queen. While my people may have grown used to the fact that a woman rules them, I know that there are people outside my kingdom that find me too weak to rule a country. I doubted that this charming man was one of them, but you could never be too careful.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, lady Celiel." Aragorn smiled at me, though it did not reach his eyes. A smile of my own broke out on my face and for a minute I thought that I saw his smile widen a bit, but I wrote it off as my imagination.

"The pleasure is all mine, my lord."

"Now, my lady, if it is not too much to ask, perhaps you could tell me of this fascination of yours with broken heirlooms."


	3. Chapter 3

"Strangers of distant lands, friends of old. You've been summoned here to answer the threat of Mordor. Middle Earth stands upon the brink of destruction, none can escape it. You will unite or you will fall. Each race is bound to this fate, this one doom." Lord Elrond gave a quick glance over those that had assembled here before him. From my place next to Aragorn, the man I had met the previous night, I could see many whom I had already met. It seems that Legolas, the son of Thranduil, king of Mirkwood had come in his father's stead. I had met him on a business visit to his father's halls. The _parvus hominus_ , Frodo, sat on a chair next to Mithrandir. Some dwarves of Erebor, though none that I had met personally, sat next to the elves of Mirkwood. A man from Gondor had also come, the son of the Steward. Him also, I had not yet met personally. His father didn't like me, thought me too weak to sit upon my throne. Denethor thought it best to keep his son out of my reaches, lest I 'infect' him with my inability to rule.

"Bring forth the ring, Frodo." My eyes went to the small hobbit at these words. Frodo stood up and walked slowly to the pedestal that stood in the middle of the circle. On it, he placed a small ring. Immediately I knew that this was no ordinary ring, for a strange voice filled my mind, begging me to take it with me back to Sadain. That together we could slay the filthy orcs of Mordor, that we could protect the walls of Sadain together.

"So it is true," Boromir, the son of Denethor, muttered in his hand, looking at the ring in fascination. My gaze, together with Aragorn's, went to him while Frodo was sitting back down with a sigh of relief, it seemed. Boromir stood up, gazing at Mithrandir and spoke.

"In a dream, I saw the eastern sky grow dark but in the west a pale light lingered," He said softly, slowly approaching the pedestal with the ring on it, "A voice was crying, 'the doom is near at hand, Isildur's bane is found.'" Boromir reached out with his hand to take the ring for himself, I assume, and I saw Elrond and Mithrandir exchange glances.

"Isildur's bane." He whispered once again.

Suddenly, before Boromir could touch the ring, Elrond sprang upright and shouted his name. In the meantime, Mithrandir began speaking in the Black Speech. I am not sure of what he spoke, for I do not speak the Black Tongue, but it forced Boromir to sit back down. A dreadful feeling filled me at hearing the words, a soft grunt escaped my lips and my hand came up to rub my forehead as if it could ease the pain that had formed there.

"Never before has any voice uttered the words of that tongue here, in Imladris." Lord Elrond said, some silent fury behind his words though it was not obvious.

"I do not ask your pardon, Master Elrond, for the Black Speech of Mordor may yet be heard in every corner of the West. The ring is altogether evil." Mithrandir's gaze went from Elrond to Boromir, who would not be dissuaded from his course.

"It is a gift," He spoke and stood up, "A gift to the foes of Mordor. Why not use this ring? Long has my father, the Steward of Gondor, kept the forces of Mordor at bay. By the blood of our people are your lands kept safe. Give Gondor the weapon of the enemy, let us use it against him." I saw Aragorn open his mouth to say something, but I stood up before he could and fumed away.

"Is this what your father hammered into your mind? That he could use that ring for doing good?" I pointed towards the ring of which I spoke.

"It would take your father even faster than it took Isildur. And you think that you are the only one to suffer from the attacks from Mordor. Do not forget that Sadain too lies on its borders. Yet you do not see me attempting to take it with me." I spat out, infuriated that Denethor would send his son here to take the ring with him to Gondor, the one place where it should never go.

"Who are you to speak against my father like that? He is a good man, and no man, certainly not some woman from Sadain, the kingdom who hides behind its walls all the time, should speak ill of him." His gaze was upon me, judging me. I understood that he loved his father but he let love blind his judgement and when Denethor of Gondor is your father that is not a wise move at all.

"Look at you, just as arrogant, just as impolite and judgmental as your father. Do you not know that you cannot use it, certainly not against its own master. It is a part of Sauron itself, the only solution I see is destroying it." I decided to ignore his questions, not deeming him even worthy of the trouble of arguing with him, and I sat back down.

"The lady is right. You cannot wield it, none of us can. The one ring answers to Sauron alone, it has no other master." Boromir's gaze went from me to Aragorn, who had placed a warning hand on my forearm. He didn't like that his claims were spoken against, that he was proven wrong.

"And what would a ranger know of this matter?" The Steward's son took a step forward but before he could do more, Legolas stood up and defended Aragorn's honor.

"This is no mere ranger. He is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. You owe him your allegiance." Shock filled me to the bone. I hadn't expected that the man with whom I talked all night was to be the king of Gondor.

"Aragorn," Boromir said unbelievingly, "This is Isildur's heir?"

"And heir to the throne of Gondor." Legolas added, making sure that Boromir would respect Aragorn as the man he rightfully was. Aragorn, in the meantime, had grown uncomfortable, I could see it by the way he shifted slightly in his chair. I glanced at him slightly, taking him in once more. Rumor has gone around for a long time in Sadain that Isildur's heir still lived, but that was only what it was. Rumors. To have it confirmed now was a little bit overwhelming. It seemed that it too had been overwhelming for Aragorn.

"Havo dad, Legolas."

"Gondor has no king. Gondor needs no king." With that being spoken, and the stubbornness and arrogance of Denethor's line being proven once again, Boromir turned and walked back to his seat. I put a hand on Aragorn's arm, which he patted for a moment, before I took it back and put it in my lap.

"Aragorn is right, we cannot use it." Mithrandir said, breaking me out of my own little world. With the small fight between Boromir and myself, I had forgotten for a moment that there were others present.

"You have only once choice. The ring must be destroyed." Elrond added, standing up too and watching the Steward's son for a slight moment.

"What are we waiting for?" A dwarf with red hair, both on his head as on his chin, said. The _hominus sub humus_ stood up, grabbed his axe before stepping forward to the ring and attempting to shatter it. It didn't work, however, and instead of the ring lying in pieces on the floor, his axe was broken, even the iron part of it. The dward himself was laying on the ground, his kin scrambling up to help him get up.

"The ring cannot be destroyed, Gimli, son of Gloín, by any craft that we here possess. The ring was made in the fires of Mount Doom and only there can it be unmade." Lord Elrond declared, staring at Gimli as he stood up. "It must be taken deep into Mordor and cast back into the fiery chasm from whence it came."

"One of you must do this."

Everything was silent at his words. I think that nobody was up to it, nobody willingly wanted to make such a long and tiring journey. If it had been anything else, I would've done it, but the ring made me too fearful. What if I took it to Sadain instead of Mordor, and caused the downfall of my mighty kingdom.

"One does not simply walk into Mordor." Boromir spoke up and I sighed audibly. Everyone knew this yet he had to emphasize it.

"Its black gates are guarded then more than just orcs. There is evil there that does not sleep and the Great Eye is ever watchful. It is a barren wasteland, riddled with fire and ash and dust. The very air you breathe is a poisonous fume. Not with ten thousand men could you do this. It is folly." Apparently I was not the only one who had grown tired of Boromir, for Legolas stood up.

"Have you heard nothing Lord Elrond just said? The ring must be destroyed."

"And I suppose you think you're the one to do it?" Gimli added to the fire, staring Legolas down, the elf eagerly accepting the challenge.

"And if we fail, what then? What happens when Sauron takes back what is his?" Boromir spat to Legolas.

"I will be dead before I see the ring in the hands of an elf." The red haired _hominus sub humus_ shouted, Legolas also his victim. The other Mirkwood elves stood up to defend their prince and Gimli's kin joined him to show that they agreed. Men meddled in the fight, wanting to bring forth what they thought.

"Never trust an elf."

"Verus?" I muttered silently, tired of hearing the constant fighting between Men, Dwarves and Elves. I saw Mithrandir shake his head, Aragorn sigh deeply and look to Lord Elrond while Frodo was looking at the ring. Eventually, Mithrandir joined in on the 'civilized' conversation, yelling at Boromir that we'll all be destroyed. Frodo, however, was panicking slightly, never keeping his gaze off of the ring. Five seconds later, he suddenly stood up and proclaimed that he would take it. Not many heard it, so he repeated himself again. I shared a look with Aragorn, who had also heard the hobbit the first time. It is strange that a creature so small could have so much courage, yet not unexpected.

"I will take it. I will take the ring to Mordor, though I do not know the way." Everyone stopped arguing, turning towards the small person who had spoken up.

"I will help you bear this burden, Frodo Baggins, as long as it is your burden to bear." Mithrandir joined Frodo's side after a short silence in which I saw many admire the young hobbit. From my side, Aragorn also stood up and walked forward towards Frodo.

"If by my life or death I can protect you, I will." He took two long strides, then kneeled in front of the _parvus hominus,_ holding Frodo's gaze.

"And you have my bow." Legolas too joined Frodo's side. At seeing the elf step up, Gimli too stepped up.

"And my axe." I saw Legolas sigh and look at me as if to say 'please no, not him'. Gimli too looked away.

"You carry the fate of us all, little one. If this is indeed the will of the council, then Gondor will see it done." One saw on Boromir's face that this decision for a quest was not what he wanted, but I suppose everyone must stand down for this.

At my standing up, they all looked at me but I held my head high and gaze strong, staring hard at Boromir.

"I will not have you depart on this quest, _parvus hominus_ , without the support of Sadain and some womanly influence. You'll need it." I winked at the tiny hobbit and a smile broke out on his face at the last part. Walking to Aragorn's side, I was surprised to hear a shout come from behind me.

"Mister Frodo's not going anywhere without me." Sam pushed between the arms of Aragorn and Mithrandir, coming to stand beside Frodo and crossing his arms.

"No indeed, it is hardly possible to separate you, even when he is summoned to a secret council and you are not." Lord Elrond said, clearly amused, to Sam. Again, two shouts came forth, not from behind me this time but from behind two pillars.

"Oi, we're coming too!" Two little hobbits came running forwards, both determined to come along on this quest.

"You'll have to send us home tied up in a sack to stop us!" The taller one declared.

"Anyways, you need people of intelligence on this sort of mission. Quest. Thing." The smaller one said to Elrond and I had to hold in my laugh. I could tell that even though this would certainly be no fun journey, those two would make us laugh quite a few times.

"Well that rules you out, Pip." A tiny giggle escaped from my mouth this time, even though I tried my best to stop it. The pair looked up at me and smiled but looked at Elrond again as soon as he started speaking again.

"Ten companions. So be it. You shall be the fellowship of the ring."

"Right. Where are we going?" Another laugh escaped me and I ignored Boromir's irritated glare as the two _parvus homini_ turned towards me.

"Nice to meet you, my lady. My name is Merry, and this is my cousin Pippin." They both gave me a quick bow, and I curtsied as I introduced myself.

"Celiel of Sadain."

"My lady, we are in need of you for a few moments." Lord Elrond appeared behind the Hobbits, smiling down at them but holding out his arm. Taking it, I noticed he led me towards a small room where Mithrandir and Aragorn already were standing. A map of Middle Earth lay on a table in the middle of the room, a quill, ink and a notebook laying down next to it.

"Is it truly a wise decision, my lady, to join this quest? I have foreseen that Sadain will be in need of their leader the coming year." Elrond said when we were all gathered around the map. I glanced at him, frowning at what he told me but not worrying about the leadership of my country at all.

"Lord Elrond, as much as I appreciate your concern, there is no need of it. I left the leadership in the capable hands of my brother and that is where it will remain for the rest of this quest. He may not be as experienced at me, but he has fought by my side multiple times and I have raised him to be a just king. There really is no need for worrying."

"I do not doubt the capability of your brother, queen Celiel, I merely say that this may not be the best time to let him take over your country."

"I disagree. I have learned the hard way and so will he. I can teach him all I want but it will never be the same as in real life. I trust that he will defend my realm to the best of his ability, if not better than I." It was clear Lord Elrond didn't agree with my decision but he knew that he could not change my mind. It was not his decision to make.

"Lord Elrond, we are not here to question Queen's Celiel's decisions. We are here to decide the path that we will take." Mithrandir intervened, sharing a look with Aragorn, which I decided to ignore. Keep your nose out of Wizards' affairs and no serious trouble will come to you.

"We were hoping that you could help, with Sadain's position being so close to Mordor." Aragorn explained, looking at me attentively. Watching the map, they had already drawn a way through the Misty Mountains. We were to take the gap of Rohan. At seeing that I immediately looked up.

"Last year, a group of Uruk-hai were seen traveling from Mordor, through our lands to the east. They had taken a detour, which proved to be fatal for them. We slaughtered the pack and we took the leader in for questioning. After some…" I grimaced at the memory, "pain being inflicted, he told us the reason of his visit. Saruman has betrayed us. His loyalty no longer lies with us but with Sauron." Looking into Mithrandir's eyes, I saw that he already knew this. I was too late with the news.

"Why have you not told us this sooner? We have been going to Saruman with information all this time." Lord Elrond demanded, quite a bit shocked that I had known this for a long time.

"I had more pressuring matters to worry about then the loyalty of some wizard. I think that you're a fair bit familiar with it. It's named leading a country. Sadain has been under attack since the rule of my grandfather and it hasn't stopped. At that time, sending a messenger out was not possible."

"Now, are you done questioning my authority in my kingdom, Lord Elrond? If I could have sent you word, I would have."

"I am sorry, my lady. That was not my intention." Calming down slightly, I realized that I had taken a bit of my frustration at the male sex out on Elrond.

"No, I am sorry, my friend. Forgive me, but I have grown tired of being questioned and doubted all the time." When I received a nod, I turned back to the map. My finger traveled to the name of the Gap of Rohan.

"I fear that the surroundings of Isengard are not safe. That may include the Gap of Rohan. I think that it is being watched. We should take another road."

"Nay, my lady. There is no other possibility. The High Pass is impossible to take because that will lead us straight over Goblin town. If we wish to travel in secret, this would not be a good choice. In Moria, I'm not certain but I fear that there are fouler things then orcs and goblins that dwell there. The Redhorn pass would make us vulnerable should anything happen to us. There are no immediate other possibilities."

"Very well then. What path would you take from there?" I sighed through my nose and rubbed my eyes. Even away from my kingdom, the duties did not stop.

"That is why you are here. We were to ask if we could travel from Sadain to Mordor, have a place where we can wait a few days and regain our strength." Mithrandir asked me, eyes hopeful. Hope that I knew I had to destroy.

"No. There are many risks. If the enemy were to find out that the ring would be in Sadain and they were to attack, not only my people would suffer but there would be a chance that we would be completely surrounded with nowhere to go. We only have four ways in and out of the city, and if they are all taken then the enemy will eventually get inside and claim the ring. Sadain is under constant attack. No one has ever breached our walls but that does not mean that it cannot happen." With that answer, he nodded as if he expected such an answer, as if he had thought of it himself.

"If you say so, my lady. Where do you suggest we go?" Aragorn asked me, scratching out something in the notebook.

"I'd say that the safest road would be over the Emyn Muil and through the Dead Marches. No orcs go through there and I think that with many eyes watching, we will find a way through the wasteland. If not, then we should at least not travel through Gondor. I may not like Denethor but I know him. Once he hears of our travels through 'his' land, he will send men to retrieve us and he will succeed. The ring should never land in that man's hands. The world would be a foul place." Mithrandir nodded, Elrond just stared at the map for a bit longer and Aragorn wrote what I said down.

"My lord, if there is time, can I ride to Sadain? I must inform my brother of this, that he has to be prepared and I have to give him some guidance. I would do it per letter, but I do not trust it will not end in the wrong hands." Lord Elrond shook his head.

"My lady, there is no time. The fellowship must depart as soon as possible and that would be a delay, time which may be precious. Write down in a letter what your brother needs to know and I will personally bring it to him if that calms your mind."

"Thank you, my lord."


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi guys, I'm here with the next chapter.**

 **I have nothing to announce today, just a question to ask.**

 **If any of you use Dropbox, is it effcient? Because i'm saving my fanfictions and all my other things on there but I don't really know if it's safe or if I'll lose them. You see, the reason I put them there is because my computer is slightly damaged and I don't know how long it'll continue working. I don't want to lose my files, you see, and all the hard work I've put in writing this fanfiction already (I'm about a quarter through the second movie).**

 **So, if you guys would please help me out here, i'll be very grateful.**

 **Enjoy :)**

"We must hold to this course, west of the Misty Mountains, for forty days. If our luck holds, the Gap of Rohan will still be open to us. From there, our road turns east to Mordor." Mithrandir said a couple of days later, sitting on a rock. Our surroundings had changed drastically. Where first trees and flowers stood, now only rock and bushes –most of them dead- appeared. We were at the feet of the Misty Mountains. Boromir had decided to teach the hobbits how to defend themselves, and so the last few days, every time we stopped, the sounds of metal colliding with metal disturbed the peace. Now too, he was practicing with Merry and Pippin. Aragorn sat on a boulder close by, observing while smoking his pipe. Sam had cooked lunch and was handing it out while Gimli and Legolas were watching the horizon. Frodo sat on a rock next to the campfire, and I had joined Mithrandir on his rock.

"Two, one, five. Good! Very good." The sound of Boromir and the two hobbits reached my ears but I ignored it, favoring to sharpen my sword.

"Move your feet." I heard Aragorn say and a small smile covered my face but it disappeared as I focused on Gimli when he spoke up.

"If anyone was to ask for my opinion, which I note they're not, I'd say we were taking the long way 'round. Gandalf, we could pass through the mines of Moria. My cousin Balin would give us a royal welcome."

"No Gimli, I would not take the road through Moria unless I had no other choice." Mithrandir answered, and I noticed Legolas passing by and looking in the distance intently. My gaze wandered to where he looked and a slightly darker cloud in the sky caught my attention. Mithrandir, too, saw it.

"What is that?" I breathed as I saw it move fast in this direction.

"Nothing! It is just a wisp of cloud." Gimli dismissed the suspicious looking cloud, but as it came closer and closer, I noticed it consisted of smaller black dots that moved.

"It's moving fast. And against the wind." Looking over quickly, it had caught the attention of Aragorn and Boromir too.

"Crebain from Dunland!" Legolas cried suddenly, his elven eyes seeing better than mine ever did, even in my younger days. Aragorn immediately took action and shouted for everyone to hide. As everyone scrambled around for cover, Bill the pony stood still, eating some leaves of a tree. I quickly ran to the animal, grabbed its reigns and guided it under the tree. Then I pulled some branches lower so that the Crebain would not notice us, though I feared that it was already too late. Bill was breathing in my neck as I crouched to see through the foliage. The black birds circled the rocks a couple of times, before taking off again in the direction from whence they came. When the coast was clear, I let the branches go back to their original position and walked with Bill out of their shadow.

"Spies of Saruman." Mithrandir declared as I drew closer with the pony.

"It is as you said, Celiel, the passage south is being watched. We must take the pass of Caradhras." He said when he took notice of me and I nodded, gazing at the mountain with reluctance. This time of the year, there would be even more snow then normal and storms would pass through the mountains. It would not be the most fun part of the journey.

After we had eaten and everything was packed away, we changed course and headed towards the mountain. Soon, we already came upon snow and I knew that it would not be long before the layer of snow would become thicker and thicker.

"I hate snow." I muttered to Aragorn as we both trudged behind Frodo. I had fallen behind slightly due to not being able to maneuver so well in the snow. The cold had already started to seep in my shoes, my feet were frozen and my cloak had no hood to protect my face against the wind.

"You are not alone." He said back, shivering slightly. Legolas was walking ahead, the cold not bothering him and he did not sink in the snow. Curse the elves for getting all the advantages in life.

Suddenly, Frodo stumbled and rolled down the hill towards us.

"Frodo!" Aragorn shouted, holding him still when he reached us and helping him up. I dusted his shoulders off but the _parvus hominus_ was feeling almost frantically at his neck. It was then that I noticed the ring was not there, and it seemed he noticed it as well for he met my eyes in realization.

"Boromir." The ranger holding Frodo upright said, causing both of us to look to the man from Gondor. Boromir had apparently found the ring because he held the chain in his hand and was gazing at it in fascination. He muttered something, but I cannot say what it was because the wind was howling in my ears.

"Boromir!"Aragorn shouted again, snapping Boromir out of his daze.

"Give the ring to Frodo." He ordered, his eyes not once leaving the Steward's son. I quickly glanced at Frodo, but instead of Frodo I saw Aragorn's hand on the hilt of his sword. My head snapped back to Boromir in an instant, my own hand drifting towards my sword as well. Boromir stepped forward and held out the ring to Frodo, the hobbit snatching it out of his grasp and putting it around his neck.

"As you wish, I care not." He ruffled Frodo's curls before continuing to the rest who had stopped to see what was going on.

"Are you all right, Frodo? Have you hurt yourself?"

"I'm fine, Celiel. Thank you."

"If it hard for you to walk through the snow, walk in the footsteps of those before you. Most of the snow has already been shoved aside there." I advised him, dusting him off one more time before shoving him slightly in the path that Boromir took. I exchanged a quick look with Aragorn behind Frodo's back before we both followed the hobbit.

As I had predicted, the snow grew thicker and not long after did the _parvus homini_ have to be carried. Struggling myself, I decided to help Gimli and Bill along instead of carrying a hobbit. I left that to the strength of the men. When Legolas walked by, Gimli muttered something and in that moment, I could not agree more with him.

"Bloody elves. Look at him walking there, taunting me with his so called elven grace."

"There is a fell voice on the air." Legolas said loudly, but it reached my ears no more than a murmur. The wind's howling had increased tenfold and it was incredibly hard to see where I was going.

"It's Saruman!" Mithrandir cried, and as if on cue, large rocks and boulders broke off above us. They headed straight towards us and with all my might, I grabbed Gimli and pressed us both to the mountainside.

"He's trying to bring down the mountain! Gandalf, we must turn back!" Aragorn shouted to the wizard.

"No!"

Mithrandir crawled atop the snow and tried to fight Saruman so that we might have a safe passage but he did not succeed. Lightning struck the mountain and more snow fell down, burying us in the white cold stuff. I could not see, nor could I breathe, the only thing I felt was Gimli's armor. I had fallen down, the force with which the snow fell down on us proving too great to keep standing. Panicking slightly, I released one hand from the dwarf so that I could clear a path to the top. My hand broke through the sea of white and I wormed my way up, pulling Gimli along. We quickly began digging for Bill, the poor animal probably terribly confused at the sudden whiteness of things. When we pulled him out, Boromir suggested another road.

"We must get off the mountain, make for the Gap of Rohan and take the west road to my city."

"The Gap of Rohan takes us too close to Isengard!" Aragorn shouted before I could say anything. If we were to take the gap, any secrecy that this quest had will be destroyed and the enemy will come hunting for us.

"We cannot pass over the mountain. Let us go under it. Let us go through the mines of Moria." Gimli spoke up, looking very funny with his beard being coated with snowflakes.

"Let the ring bearer decide." Mithrandir spoke, looking at Frodo.

"We cannot stay here! This will be the death of the hobbits!" Boromir shouted at Frodo's hesitance, putting more pressure on the hobbit's shoulders. I rolled my eyes in annoyance.

"Frodo?" Mithrandir asked for Frodo's decision.

"We will go through the mines."

"So be it." The wizard's shoulder's sagged at hearing Frodo's words but did not attempt to change Frodo's mind.

And so, we turned around and headed for the mines of Moria.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi guys, I'm here with the next chapter.**

 **I have nothing to announce today, just a question to ask.**

 **If any of you use Dropbox, is it effcient? Because i'm saving my fanfictions and all my other things on there but I don't really know if it's safe or if I'll lose them. You see, the reason I put them there is because my computer is slightly damaged and I don't know how long it'll continue working. I don't want to lose my files, you see, and all the hard work I've put in writing this fanfiction already (I'm about a quarter through the second movie).**

 **So, if you guys would please help me out here, i'll be very grateful.**

 **Enjoy :)**

"We must hold to this course, west of the Mist Mountains, for forty days. If our luck holds, the Gap of Rohan will still be open to us. From there, our road turns east to Mordor." Mithrandir said a couple of days later, sitting on a rock. Our surroundings had changed drastically. Where first trees and flowers stood, now only rock and bushes –most of them dead- appeared. We were at the feet of the Misty Mountains. Boromir had decided to teach the hobbits how to defend themselves, and so the last few days, every time we stopped, the sounds of metal upon metal rang disturbed the peace. Now too, he was practicing with Merry and Pippin. Aragorn sat on a boulder close by, observing while smoking his pipe. Sam had cooked lunch and was handing it out while Gimli and Legolas were watching the horizon. Frodo sat on a rock next to the campfire, and I had joined Mithrandir on his rock.

"Two, one, five. Good! Very good." The sound of Boromir and the two hobbits reached my ears but I ignored it, favoring to sharpen my sword.

"Move your feet." I heard Aragorn say and a small smile covered my face but it disappeared as I focused on Gimli when he spoke up.

"If anyone was to ask for my opinion, which I note they're not, I'd say we were taking the long way 'round. Gandalf, we could pass through the mines of Moria. My cousin Balin would give us a royal welcome."

"No Gimli, I would not take the road through Moria unless I had no other choice." Mithrandir answered, and I noticed Legolas passing by and looking in the distance intently. My gaze wandered to where he looked and a slightly darker cloud in the sky caught my attention. Mithrandir, too, saw it.

"What is that?" I breathed as I saw it move fast in this direction.

"Nothing! It is just a wisp of cloud." Gimli dismissed the suspicious looking cloud, but as it came closer and closer, I noticed it consisted of smaller black dots that moved.

"It's moving fast. And against the wind." Looking over quickly, it had caught the attention of Aragorn and Boromir too.

"Crebain from Dunland!" Legolas cried suddenly, his elven eyes seeing better than mine ever did, even in my younger days. Aragorn immediately took action and shouted for everyone to hide. As everyone scrambled around for cover, Bill the pony stood still, eating some leaves of a tree. I quickly ran to the animal, grabbed its reigns and guided it under the tree. Then I pulled some branches lower so that the Crebain would not notice us, though I feared that it was already too late. Bill was breathing in my neck as I crouched to see through the foliage. The black birds circled the rocks a couple of times, before taking off again in the direction from whence they came. When the coast was clear, I let the branches go back to their original position and walked with Bill out of their shadow.

"Spies of Saruman." Mithrandir declared as I drew closer with the pony.

"It is as you said, Celiel, the passage south is being watched. We must take the pass of Caradhras." He said when he took notice of me and I nodded, gazing at the mountain with reluctance. This time of the year, there would be even more snow then normal and storms would pass through the mountains. It would not be the most fun part of the journey.

After we had eaten and everything was packed away, we changed course and headed towards the mountain. Soon, we already came upon snow and I knew that it would not be long before the layer of snow would become thicker and thicker.

"I hate snow." I muttered to Aragorn as we both trudged behind Frodo. I had fallen behind slightly due to not being able to maneuver so well in the snow. The cold had already started to seep in my shoes, my feet were frozen and my cloak had no hood to protect my face against the wind.

"You are not alone." He said back, shivering slightly. Legolas was walking ahead, the cold not bothering him and he did not sink in the snow. Curse the elves for getting all the advantages in life.

Suddenly, Frodo stumbled and rolled down the hill towards us.

"Frodo!" Aragorn shouted, holding him still when he reached us and helping him up. I dusted his shoulders off but the _parvus hominus_ was feeling almost frantically at his neck. It was then that I noticed the ring was not there, and it seemed he noticed it as well for he met my eyes in realization.

"Boromir." The ranger holding Frodo upright said, causing both of us to look to the man from Gondor. Boromir had apparently found the ring because he held the chain in his hand and was gazing at it in fascination. He muttered something, but I cannot say what it was because the wind was howling in my ears.

"Boromir!"Aragorn shouted again, snapping Boromir out of his daze.

"Give the ring to Frodo." He ordered, his eyes not once leaving the Steward's son. I quickly glanced at Frodo, but instead of Frodo I saw Aragorn's hand on the hilt of his sword. My head snapped back to Boromir in an instant, my own hand drifting towards my sword as well. Boromir stepped forward and held out the ring to Frodo, the hobbit snatching it out of his grasp and putting it around his neck.

"As you wish, I care not." He ruffled Frodo's curls before continuing to the rest who had stopped to see what was going on.

"Are you all right, Frodo? Have you hurt yourself?"

"I'm fine, Celiel. Thank you."

"If it hard for you to walk through the snow, walk in the footsteps of those before you. Most of the snow has already been shoved aside there." I advised him, dusting him off one more time before shoving him slightly in the path that Boromir took. I exchanged a quick look with Aragorn behind Frodo's back before we both followed the hobbit.

As I had predicted, the snow grew thicker and not long after did the _parvus homini_ have to be carried. Struggling myself, I decided to help Gimli and Bill along instead of carrying a hobbit. I left that to the strength of the men. When Legolas walked by, Gimli muttered something and in that moment, I could not agree more with him.

"Bloody elves. Look at him walking there, taunting me with his so called elven grace."

"There is a fell voice on the air." Legolas said loudly, but it reached my ears no more than a murmur. The wind's howling had increased tenfold and it was incredibly hard to see where I was going.

"It's Saruman!" Mithrandir cried, and as if on cue, large rocks and boulders broke off above us. They headed straight towards us and with all my might, I grabbed Gimli and pressed us both to the mountainside.

"He's trying to bring down the mountain! Gandalf, we must turn back!" Aragorn shouted to the wizard.

"No!"

Mithrandir crawled atop the snow and tried to fight Saruman so that we might have a safe passage but he did not succeed. Lightning struck the mountain and more snow fell down, burying us in the white cold stuff. I could not see, nor could I breathe, the only thing I felt was Gimli's armor. I had fallen down, the force with which the snow fell down on us proving too great to keep standing. Panicking slightly, I released one hand from the dwarf so that I could clear a path to the top. My hand broke through the sea of white and I wormed my way up, pulling Gimli along. We quickly began digging for Bill, the poor animal probably terribly confused at the sudden whiteness of things. When we pulled him out, Boromir suggested another road.

"We must get off the mountain, make for the Gap of Rohan and take the west road to my city."

"The Gap of Rohan takes us too close to Isengard!" Aragorn shouted before I could say anything. If we were to take the gap, any secrecy that this quest had will be destroyed and the enemy will come hunting for us.

"We cannot pass over the mountain. Let us go under it. Let us go through the mines of Moria." Gimli spoke up, looking very funny with his beard being coated with snowflakes.

"Let the ring bearer decide." Mithrandir spoke, looking at Frodo.

"We cannot stay here! This will be the death of the hobbits!" Boromir shouted at Frodo's hesitance, putting more pressure on the hobbit's shoulders. I rolled my eyes in annoyance.

"Frodo?" Mithrandir asked for Frodo's decision.

"We will go through the mines."

"So be it." The wizard's shoulder's sagged at hearing Frodo's words but did not attempt to change Frodo's mind.

And so, we turned around and headed for the mines of Moria.


	6. Chapter 6

"Frodo! Come and help an old man." The hobbit joined Mithrandir, putting his hand around the older wizard to support him as they walked. We had been walking for two days now, frequently stopping to cherish the last daylight we would not be getting for a while. At least, that was Mithrandir's excuse. I suspected that he simply dreaded going to that place so much that he purposely delayed us.

I passed the two of them, walking next to Aragorn. We had been having a conversation about Sadonian customs, because he had not been there before and wanted to know more about it. Of course, I eagerly explained and told tales about life in Sadain and the adventures that I used to have in the Capital City. It seemed like that was a lifetime ago, for now I was on a real adventure instead of an imaginary one. I was journeying to Mordor, not to the market place or to the kitchens.

In return, Aragorn told me where he had ventured, what places he had visited and seen. He described them, talking about the peacefulness of The Shire, where the hobbits lived, and the clamorous ways of the dwarves in Erebor. To Dale he had been too, its markets overflowing with wealth and all sorts of people. I had never ventured that far north, except once for business with King Thranduil.

"The walls of Moria." Gimli breathed, introducing the place where some of his kin dwelled. We walked down the ramp we were standing on and circled the lake to the giant walls. They were larger than even the walls of Sadain, and that is saying something. One could not see the end of them if you stood in front of the walls.

Suddenly, Gimli began knocking on the rock with his staff. I was a bit concerned with his behavior, because if he thought that his kin would open the doors –which I did not see- upon hearing his knocks, he was mistaken. No sounds would break through those thick walls. It appeared that the dwarf had realized the look I was giving him for he explained his strange behavior.

"Dwarf doors are invisible when closed."

Ah, that explains it. Still, he cannot simply think that he would be able to locate the doors by knocking on them. They were invisible and would remain invisible when knocked upon. Also, if he was hoping to discover if there was a hollow space behind the wall, he would not find out that way for, as I said before, no sound would be heard through those walls.

"Yes, Gimli. Their own masters cannot find them if their secrets are forgotten." Mithrandir confirmed, also walking closer to the walls and examining them.

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Legolas commented and a laugh escaped my lips, despite trying my hardest to keep silent. I did not want to make much noise, for the lake and the darkness that surrounded us gave me an eerie feeling. I was just about to tell the others to be as quiet as possible when I was cut off by the sound of splashing. Turning around, I noticed Frodo had lost his footing and had placed his foot in the water. I watched the lake attentively, looking for a sign that would tell me that something lived in it. It rippled once and that was all it did.

"Ithildin. It mirrors only starlight and moonlight." Mithrandir had found some sketches on the wall. I looked up to the sky and the clouds moved just in time, so that the moon shone down on us and the doors. Behind the wizard, a drawn arch lighted up, certainly not something that one saw every day. It consisted of two trees, wrapped around its pillars and a text, in a language I knew not, which appeared on the top part of the arch.

"It reads: 'The doors of Durin, Lord of Moria, speak, friend, and enter.'"

"What do you suppose that means?" Merry questioned the wizard, looking at the text that he couldn't read in fascination. One could see that traveling was knew to him. Pippin had told me that hobbits never venture far out of The Shire, and for good reason. He said that there were not many who could fight, survive in the wild or journey for long. Hobbits were too accustomed to the comfort of their holes.

"Oh, it's quite simple. If you are a friend, you speak the password and the doors will open." Mithrandir attempted to open the doors with a spell in another language but to no avail. I saw Pippin opening his mouth to comment on the wizard's failures and I put my hand on his shoulder in silent warning. He didn't understand the meaning of my gesture, merely smiled up at me and spoke to the wizard.

"Nothing's happening." Pippin said, looking between the wizard and the doors. I exhaled heavily in exasperation at the hobbit. An annoyed look was sent his way but the hobbit either ignored it or didn't see it. In desperation, Mithrandir began pushing and shoving at the doors but it was all in vain. The doors did not budge.

"I once knew every spell in all the tongues of elves, men and orcs."

"What are you going to do then?" I closed my eyes, prepared for the outburst of anger that would come Pippin's way. Wizards were quick to anger and should be left alone if they are frustrated. When I was younger, the wizard did not hesitate to scold me if I did something wrong. Though, I suppose, it was all for my own good.

"Knock your head against these doors, Peregrin Took, and if that does not shatter them then I am allowed a little peace from foolish questions. I will try to find the opening words."

Pippin looked down and I squeezed his shoulder in silent comfort. Then, I watched as everyone kept standing around and spoke up.

"Come. I don't think that Mithrandir will figure this out immediately. Sit down and get some rest, I have no doubt that we'll need it."

As the others settled down, Aragorn asked Sam and I to help him unload Bill, for he said that the brave pony would not be accompanying us in the mines. Sam's smile disappeared when he was told the news but nevertheless, he began pulling blankets and bags off the pony. I knew that the absence of Bill would sadden the hobbit greatly, for they had bonded during the past few weeks. The bond between animal and person was a special one, one that could not be replaced by anything. I still miss my first horse, a loyal companion, who had died during the first Siege of Sadain.

A sudden splashing startled me out of my thoughts and I quickly turned around to see what had made the loud noise. Merry and Pippin had begun throwing stones in the water in their boredom, for they had nothing better to do, apparently. It would have been an innocent and harmless action, if the dark water had not given me a foreboding. There lurked something in the water and it was best to be left alone.

It appeared that Aragorn had the same thoughts as me, as he grabbed Pippin's arm when he was about to throw another stone into the water. He warned him that it should remain undisturbed before looking out over the dark pond. I joined him, standing on a log for better view and ignoring Mithrandir's faint tries to open the doors, instead focusing on the slight rippling in the water, not created by anything on land.

A small wave reached shore and it alarmed me greatly, so much so that I stepped back into Aragorn and paid him no mind. His hand came to rest on my other shoulder, pulling me behind him slightly for protection.

Sudden cracking and rumbling took us out of our observations and we turned around to see the Doors of Durin opening. Mithrandir and Frodo had succeeded in opening them and I quickly entered the cavern, not once looking back at the lake. I did not want to linger in a place where we were not safe. It was dark and a smell, like something was rotting, reached my nose. When Mithrandir shone some light on out surroundings, the source of the smell became clear.

"Soon, master elf, you will enjoy the fabled hospitality of the dwarves. Roaring fires, malt beer, ripe meat off the bone! This, my friend, is the home of my cousin Balin. And they call it a mine. A mine!" Gimli laughed but it quickly died when he, too, noticed what had happened in Moria.

Boromir said something, but I ignored him as I observed the sight before us. Corpses were strewn everywhere, not in a good state at all. It was obvious that they had been here for a while, as all that remained were the bones and the hair of the unfortunate souls. It also did not give me hope that there were still dwarves living inside the mines, for surely had they been alive, these bodies would not have been here upon our arrival. Gimli cried out upon seeing his kin slaughtered, the sound of his voice echoing around the entrance hall. I rushed forward towards him, making a mental note that this was the deed of goblins, as Legolas so kindly told us.

"May the comfort of the Valar help you during these difficult times, my friend." I put my hand on his shoulder, no doubt that my words did not put him at ease at all. No words could lessen the pain that he was going through. What he really needed was to be surrounded by his kin, not the dead kind but the living ones. Unfortunately, there was no chance of that happening any time soon so the dwarf would have to make do with us. Gimli put his hand on mine and squeezed it tightly in silent appreciation.

"They will not be forgotten, Gimli. They will remain in the memories and in the hearts of those who were left behind." The dwarf nodded, standing up and turning around to the commotion that was caused at the exit of the cave. Frowning at the inability to see what was happening, I ran closer to investigate, Gimli right on my tail. I was shocked at what I saw.

A giant beast had Frodo trapped in his tentacles, Legolas, Aragorn and Boromir desperately trying to free him. How I had failed to notice such an event earlier, I did not know, and I was about to join in on the fight when it was over. Boromir had sliced through the tentacle holding Frodo and was now splashing his way back to land with the halfling in his arms and Aragorn next to him. Legolas had bought us some time by shooting the monster in the eye, which only made it more furious, and it began crawling ashore to pursue us in the mines. Luckily it was too big, meaning that it would not fit through the doors and instead brought them down. The creature screeched in anger at its prey escaping, yet we had a more pressing matter at hand. The destruction of the doors meant that we had no way out, it meant that we had to travel through Moria and somehow, that was even worse then what was waiting for us outside of the rubble that used to be our exit.

"We now have but one choice. We must face the long dark of Moria." Mithrandir said, lighting up the cave we were standing in. The darkness and silence of the mines was eerie and the sooner we were out, the better. The old man began walking forward, the rest of us following him, trusting him to guide us to the other side safely

"Be on your guard. There are older and fouler things than orcs in the deep places of the world. Quietly now, it is a four day journey to the other side. Let us hope that our presence may go unnoticed."

The first day inside Moria was spent in silence. Nobody dared to utter a word, scared to alert the enemy to our whereabouts. There was no doubt that they were still in Moria, as the dwarven kingdom was too important for the enemy to leave it unguarded. We had strictly ordered Merry and Pippin to stay quiet, though the two hobbits would have been silent even without our warnings. I noticed that even they, the merriest of our company, were affected by the darkness and emptiness of Moria. Legolas was most affected of all, as he was used to the open forests and plains of the outside world. He became restless, not sleeping or resting at all. He kept watch at night, sometimes even paced, and kept close to Mithrandir for his light calmed Legolas's nerves slightly.

On the second day, the brave souls of our company dared to utter some words. Boromir and I had a slight quarrel about the fact that he kept muttering about how he could not believe that a woman could not cook and do chores as they were supposed to. I told him that being royalty, it changed how I was raised and that he wouldn't know how it felt because he wasn't of royal blood. It would suffice to say that he got really mad about that, and I eventually apologized for my 'childish behavior', as he kept calling it. I did my best to ignore the smug grin on his face at my apology, as to not start another argument.

Legolas's situation bettered slightly, as Gimli tried to calm him down with tales about dwarves, dwarven kingdoms and his kin. Though, I suspected that the elf was not really interested in them and only listened politely and attentively so that he would not hurt the dwarf's feelings. It appeared that Legolas had grown sympathy for Gimli, as the dwarf had only just begun grieving for his kin, and tried to distract Gimli so that he would not focus on his grief. It was a win-win situation, as Legolas grew calmer and Gimli was distracted.

Day three was filled with questions from Pippin about Sadain, about the job of a queen, the job of a king, life amongst nobility and all sorts of other questions. I didn't mind telling him something more about Sadain, as it kept my mind off of our surroundings and it eased the nerves of the hobbits.

From the fourth day on, things became interesting. It would be the last day that we were to remain in the dark caves and mines of Moria and Legolas was glad to say the least. We had walked for a while, Legolas walking close to Mithrandir and the light that shone from his staff, when the wizard suddenly began inspecting the wall.

"The wealth of Moria was not in gold or jewels but mithril." He informed us, shining down the steep abyss to the right of us. His light was reflected by stones in the walls which had not been mined yet. Taking a small step forward, I looked down and could not see the ground. I suspected the mine went down for miles. Aragorn put his hand on my arm and pulled me slightly back, giving me a look. When I had stepped back again, he let me go.

"Bilbo had a shirt of mithril rings that Thorin gave him." Mithrandir said, continuing down the path that we were taking. I followed behind, trying to get a last glimpse of the deep well but only seeing darkness.

"Oh, that was a kingly gift."

"Yes. I never told him, but its worth was greater than the value of the shire."

"Who is Bilbo?" I asked, not recognizing the name at all. A hobbit, probably, if the old wizard talked about The Shire.

"My uncle." Frodo answered from somewhere in front of me. I nodded, though he could not see it, and asked my next question.

"And who is Thorin?"

"The king under the mountain who reclaimed Erebor." Gimli answered.

"Oh. His cousin rules now, does he not? Dáin Ironfoot, if I remember correctly."

"You are correct, Lady Celiel. When Thorin and his nephews died, Dáin became the next in line to inherit the throne." Mithrandir said, climbing up some stairs once again.

"I have met him once. He came to my coronation, together with his wife and daughter."

"You've met a king, Celiel?" Pippin piped up and I smile took over my features. His forgetfulness amused me, as I had told him I had met many leaders not even a day ago.

"More than one, my friend. It fits into the job description."

"Oh, right, sorry. I forgot that you're a queen for a second."

"It is all right."

Some hours later, we came upon a seemingly dead end. At least, it seemed a dead end from where I was standing. On closer inspection, there were some very steep stairs going up, and I could not see the end.

"This should be fun." I said to Aragorn, climbing on the first steps after Boromir had scaled them. The ranger smiled, climbing next to me. I was comforted about his close by presence, as I knew that if I began falling that he would stop me from doing so. Our wizard reached the top first after at least a half hour of climbing. Soon, the next one climbed over the edge and when we all finally were standing at the top of the stairs, Mithrandir said something that had me silently groaning in frustration.

"I have no memory of this place."


	7. Chapter 7

We decided that we would settle down for a while, to get some rest until Mithrandir knew which path to take. The three doors he had to choose from looked all the same to me so I had no idea how he would figure it out and asking Gimli wouldn't help because he had never been here before. So we were forced to wait until our wizard remembered something from a place where he hadn't been in centuries.

I sat down next to Aragorn, who had taken out his pipe to smoke, and looked down the great abyss below us. We had traveled a great distance up and if anyone were to fall down, there would be no chance at all for survival. I scooted back a little bit so that I wasn't as close to the edge as I was before.

Boromir wandered over with a sigh, sitting down on Aragorn's left. I had ignored him the best I could but it was a pretty hard job, considering that he kept throwing slight jabs and insults at me to provoke me. However, I was not as childish as he was and did not react to any of his accusations, no matter how hard it was.

I opened my bag, which I had placed beside me, and took out my crown to fiddle with it. It was a little reminder of home and I loved to just look at it. It contained lots of memories. For example, the time I had discovered my brother in my wardrobe, playing dress up with one of our dogs. He had been bored, was his explanation, and he had nothing better to do. I immediately told him that the servants could always use some help and since that day, whenever he wasn't busy with his duties and his education, he was always seen helping the servants clean the laundry, cooking and cleaning.

"That is a beautiful crown." Aragorn commented, looking down at it while exhaling some smoke. I smiled at the compliment, thanking him and fiddling with it some more.

"It's my circlet from when I was still a princess. Has lots of memories for me. I got it from my father." He nodded, smiling softly at me before rummaging in his own bag and pulling something out. It was a ring, a silver band with two black lines running around it. The ring was beautiful and I absolutely adored it. I was not fond of extravagant things, despite being a queen and having to constantly appear perfect. I found that I had a fascination with simpler things.

"It used to belong to my father. He died when I was two years old. My mother gave it to me when I last visited her before she passed away. She found it when she was going through his belongings. It's the only thing I have of him. There are no memories, no feelings. Nothing. I do not even know his face."

I did not pity him, for I shared the same situation that he was in and I did not want anyone to pity me. Yet, this was different. I had always taken my family for granted, always expected them to be there forever because in my eyes, my father and mother were invincible. When they died, I knew what I lost and I was able to grieve properly for it.

Aragorn, though, was the total opposite. He had never known his father, being too young when he died. He could not grieve his father because he had not known what he had lost. Sure, he could grieve for the loss of a father, yet he could not grieve for the person that his father was for he had never known him. The position of father, for him, had been taken by Lord Elrond yet Aragorn must have always known that his real father was dead. Did he often wonder what he was like? Did he often wish that he could meet him? Did he think about his father a lot?

"How long ago did she pass away?" I gently asked him, knowing how sensitive of a subject it was to talk about your dead parents.

"Little more than a decade ago."

"I am sorry for your loss." Aragorn nodded, turning around to Mithrandir as the wizard stood up from next to Frodo and announced that he knew which way to go. Merry quickly stood up, happily exclaiming that he'd remembered, putting his pipe away. The wizard smiled, shook his head and assured that he had in fact not remembered at all but decided to follow his nose instead.

He gave that piece of advice to Merry and a smile covered my lips at the wizard's odd ways. After we had descended the stairs which the wizard had chosen, we came upon a large cavern. It was so high that we could not see the ceiling, and the walls were so far apart that they were encased in the darkness completely. There was no visible end to the large room and gigantic pillars were spread around the place, making sure that the mountain would not collapse on top of us. It was a breathtaking sight. From the corner of my eyes, I noticed Gimli nudging Legolas in his side at the obvious awe on the elf's face. I snickered quietly at the smug grin on the dwarf's face and walked forward, the others following me slowly.

After walking for a while, we finally encountered a form of civilization. A chamber appeared to our right, corpses lying around the open doors. In the room itself, a light shone and perhaps Gimli saw something that we didn't see, for he ran to the room with a cry, ignoring Mithrandir's shouts to remain with the group. When our dwarf did not return, we were forced to investigate what had caused him such great peril.

Gimli was muttering in despair when we entered the chamber, kneeling before a grave. Dwarvish runes were engraved in its stone and Mithrandir helped us understand what was happening by translating them.

"Here lies Balin, son of Fundin, Lord of Moria." He read, gazing at Gimli softly and taking his hat off his hat. I pitied the dwarf, for now he had even more people to grieve. But that would have to wait, though, because these mines were not safe and we would be fools to settle down before we were outside. Mithrandir had said earlier that the exit was close and that we would be out of here in two hours tops. With the delay of forgetting where to go, though, I suspect that it would be a tad bit more.

"We must move on, we cannot linger." Legolas announced and I nodded, fully agreeing yet knowing that we would not do so. Mithrandir had picked up an old book, coated with dust, which he blew off, and began to read out what was written there.

"They have taken the bridge and the second hall. We have barred the gates but cannot hold them for long. The ground shakes. Drums. Drums in the deep. We cannot get out. A shadow moves in the dark. We cannot get out. They are coming."

I examined our surroundings while Mithrandir read the book and noticed a large hole at the back of the room. What could have made such a large hole? No troll, that's for sure. Every single one that I had seen were not nearly big enough to create such a large hole. Whatever it was, it had caused the demise of the dwarves and I desperately hoped that we would not meet it.

Suddenly, there was the sound of something falling and it echoed in the mines. My gaze went to Pippin, who stood guiltily next to a headless corpse. Unfortunately, that too fell down the well and caused an echo, even greater than the last one. I held my breath, wincing slightly at every loud sound the skeleton made, waiting for any sign that we had alarmed the enemy to our presence here.

When nothing happened, Mithrandir slammed the book he had been reading shut and stormed towards the _parvus hominus_ , taking back his staff and hat rather forcefully. In his anger, the wizard insulted Pippin again but I did not focus on that. A drum had sounded in the deep, just like the author of the book had described. Another one followed and my eyes met Aragorn's in realization. We were being attacked. Soon, the cries of Sauron's filth accompanied the drumbeats and I closed my eyes tightly in silent preparation for the oncoming battle. After that, I sprang into action and helped the men barricade the doors to the best of our ability. It would not help much, for the doors were rotten and would not hold for long.

Boromir had said that they had a cave troll and I had no doubt that this battle would take its toll on us. A troll was hard to kill, more often than not only being able to die by well-aimed arrows. Their skin was too thick and too hard for a blade to do much damage.

When we had done all that could be done to slow down the orcs, we backed up and drew our weapons. Behind me, Gimli had crawled on Balin's grave, declaring that there was still one dwarf in Moria who drew breath and that they could come and attempt to kill him. I shook my head at the dwarf's words but nocked an arrow, its feather tickling my cheek as I drew back the bowstring.

The orcs did not waste any time in trying to break down the doors. They pounded and hacked at it and in no time, the first one had made a hole in it. Legolas let his arrow fly, killing the one who had made the gap. I released my arrow next, Aragorn's following after. I drew another arrow out of my quiver but did not have time to let it fly as the orcs came charging at us after they succeeded in bringing down the doors. Not wanting the arrow to be useless, I stabbed it in the eye of the first orc that came at me.

It went down, screaming, and I unsheathed my sword to block a swing from the one that stood behind it. Stabbing it in the abdomen, I sliced the neck open from another one, dark blood squirting out of the hole in its neck. I wrinkled my nose in distaste but continued killing whichever dark creature came my way.

In the meantime, the troll had arrived and little Sam had drawn its attention. The hobbit leaped between its legs, which allowed me to help Aragorn and Boromir pull the beast off Sam. I let go as soon as we succeeded, knowing that it would turn around sharply and swing me to the other side of the room if I continued holding it. Aragorn did the same as me but Boromir was not fast enough and was thrown across the chamber. Ducking out of the way of the troll's mace, I quickly drew my bow and arrow and shot down the orc that was about to take advantage of Boromir's disorientation.

The Steward's son nodded in thanks and picked up his sword again to continue killing the orcs. I did the same, decapitating an orc who came my way. Then, I turned around to watch what the troll was doing but saw the glint of a blade appear in my vision and I bended over backwards, the weapon narrowly missing my face. It had nicked my cheek, though. I felt a trail of blood streaming down my face, a stinging pain accompanying it. I hissed to release a part of the pain, resisting the urge to cover it with my hand and wipe it away.

Instead, I decided to focus on killing the beast that had wounded me. He swung, I blocked. He slashed, I parried. It went on like that for a little while -it seemed that I had met one of the few who had actually received combat training- until finally, the orc made a fatal mistake. He shifted his weight on his right foot, of which I took advantage and kicked him in the back of the knee. The orc went down quickly and I slashed his neck before he had the chance to get up again.

"Frodo!"

At Aragorn's cry, my head turned right towards where I saw the hobbit last. The troll stood there now, smashing his club in the stone of the overlook. I noticed Merry and Pippin peering out from behind a pillar in that area, and I assumed that if they were there, Frodo was not far away.

Apparently, Aragorn had seen him and for that I was grateful. There was no way he would let the troll harm Frodo without a fight. The ranger was running to the pillar which the troll was investigating –and where Frodo was hiding- and after I deemed Frodo safe enough, I returned to my own battle once more.

The number of orcs had definitely decreased by now, only a few hardy ones still remaining. The troll too was still living, and secretly I wondered if we would ever kill it. I quickly abandoned that thought, however, because I was sure that with the level of skill in the fellowship, we would be able to bring the beast down.

I came upon Sam, who knocked his last orc out with his pan – a rather peculiar weapon but if it worked, I wasn't going to spoil his fun-. The hobbit smiled in greeting and we both looked up when we heard two small cries. The troll retreated and my mouth almost fell open when I saw Merry and Pippin clinging on its back and stabbing it with all their might before I remembered that it wasn't proper behavior for a lady. I don't know why I thought of that in battle yet I imagined Mulion –my behavioral teacher who, when I was younger, always was around to make sure that I did what a proper lady would do- scolding me for my 'impropriety'.

I came out of my stray of thoughts when I heard Sam mutter Frodo's name in despair, which he then repeated much louder and began charging into battle again. I followed the vicious little hobbit, killing the orcs which he slapped unconscious with his pan. Something must have happened to Frodo, which meant that something had also happened to Aragorn.

Concerned for our two companions, Sam and I ran towards the space the troll had just abandoned, letting the rest of the fellowship handle the beast. Aragorn was crawling to the _parvus hominus_ , whispering his name and turning Frodo around when he reached him. Mithrandir came to stand beside me, leaning heavily on his staff and looking on in anticipation to see what had become of Frodo.

The dark haired hobbit was gasping and groaning, taking all of us by surprise as he had lain absolutely still just a few second ago. Nonetheless, he was alive and uninjured.

"He's alive." Sam said in relief, sitting down next to his friend. Frodo sat up straighter, breathing heavily and looking at us.

"I'm all right. I'm not hurt."

"You should be dead. That spear would have skewered a wild boar." Aragorn exclaimed in disbelief.

"I think there's more to this hobbit than meets the eye." Mithrandir said, taking a step forward. Frodo looked down and pulled his tunic open, revealing the mithril vest that saved his life. That explained his survival. Though, it shielded him from a deadly blow, there was no doubt that there would be some nasty bruises under his pretty chainmail.

"Mithril. You are full of surprises, Master Baggins." Gimli muttered, awed that the hobbit had that in his possession this whole time and didn't say anything. It was silent for five seconds, after which cries were again heard. More orcs were coming, a backup for their fallen troops.

"To the bridge of Khazad-dûm." Our wizard ordered and soon, everyone was running again, most not yet recovered from the fight we had just been through. We ran through the hole in the wall at the back of the room. Orcs were chasing us as soon as we left the chamber, shrieking and cackling at our heels and it caused us to speed up. We had no desire to be caught and it would be fatal if we would, because we carried a lot of information and the ring that Sauron needed to rise back to power. More orcs came from the left and from the right and a quick glance up told me that there were orcs coming from that direction too. Orcs appeared from the front too and we stopped running, knowing we were surrounded. I breathed heavily, unsheathing my sword, ready to fight the seemingly endless number of orcs that surrounded us.

A great roar reached our ears suddenly and the orcs, who were still growling and yelling in that foul language of theirs, went silent. A flame shone down from the end of the hall, its source not visible. It must have been something terrible for the earth shook slightly and the orcs began shrieking in fear. They turned and began running back the way they came as fast as they could.

"What is this new devilry?" Boromir asked Mithrandir silenty, his eyes never leaving the approaching danger. The wizard closed his eyes in concentration and I took a step closer to my right where Aragorn stood. The ranger squeezed my arm slightly in comfort but it did little to calm my fears. Something had sent the orcs running and I did not want to find out. I did not think the expression 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend', applied in this situation.

"A Balrog. A demon of the ancient world. This foe is beyond any of you. Run!" Mithrandir stated and began to run again. I followed behind, knowing that if I stayed it would mean my death surely.

"Quickly!" Aragorn and Mithrandir ushered us inside a doorway, both running down behind me when I passed them. When we came to the end of the stairs, Mithrandir spoke up and addressed our ranger.

"Lead them on, Aragorn! The bridge is near." His eyes pointed to a long bridge about a mile away. Aragorn stepped up, attempting to help the wizard along but I think Mithrandir misunderstood his intentions. He pushed Aragorn back down and I caught the men as he stumbled.

"Do as I say. Swords are no more use here."

Descending seemingly endless stairs proved harder then I first thought. At a high speed we ran, that I could keep up with, but I stumbled quite a lot. I couldn't afford to fall behind and in my haste, I often misted a couple of steps, much to my frustration. Luckily, either Legolas or Aragorn was always there to help me along. We reached the bridge of Khazad-dûm fairly fast, though I cannot say we did not encounter any troubles. I had the scare of my life when Aragorn and Frodo almost fell down into the black and dark abyss below, only managing to survive thanks to Aragorn's quick wits. On top of that, orcs had begun shooting arrows at us and one had almost impaled me, had it not been for Legolas who pushed me away. I would have to thank both Legolas and Aragorn for saving my life many times.

"Over the bridge, fly!" Mithrandir shouted when we reached our destination. The bridge was incredibly narrow, an absolute nightmare to anyone with fear of heights and any clumsy person. I ran over it behind Aragorn, not daring to look down in fear of falling. Only when we reached the other side safely did we turn around to watch what was going on. The balrog had decided to make its appearance and our wizard stood face to face with it. The beast was large and it seemed to exist out of both shadow and flame. I could feel its heat on my skin and I have to say that it was one of the most unpleasant things I ever had experienced. Sweat trickled down my body and my hair stuck to my skin yet it went al ignored. The fight between the two beings before me was much more important than my appearance or comfort.

"You cannot pass!" Mithrandir shouted at the great beast, and the response he got was terrifying. The balrog stood up to its full height and burst into more flames, attempting to scare the wizard off but Mithrandir did not yield and step aside.

"Gandalf!" Frodo shouted, panicking slightly when he saw this. Boromir picked up the hobbit, who had made a move to go help the wizard out of desperation.

"I am a servant of the secret fire, wielder of the flame of Anor. The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udûn!" A white light, a strong contrast with the dark power of the balrog, shone from Mithrandir's staff. The balrog stroke down with his sword on Mithrandir's shield, shattering it immediately and causing me to begin to worry. Perhaps even Mithrandir would not be able to defeat this monster. I saw Aragorn leap forward and I caught his arm, holding him back. This was not his fight and there was nothing that he could do to help the wizard.

"Go back to the shadow!" Mithrandir ordered the balrog, holding his sword out in front of him. The beast challenged him further, stepping onto the bridge and letting his whip appear. Still, the wizard remained unfazed. At least on the outside.

"You shall not pass!" Mithrandir shouted, bring down his staff on the bridge. The balrog leaped forward, roaring at the wizard in anger but when he did so, the bridge crumbled in pieces under its very feet. My shoulders sagged in relief when I saw the balrog disappear from view and I inhaled deeply. I hadn't even realized I had been holding my breath this entire time.

Unfortunately, the balrog didn't want to go down alone. At the last moment, the beast made his whip coil around Mithrandir's feet, bringing the wizard down with him as he fell. Even though I desperately wanted to help my friend too, I held Aragorn back again as he went to help the wizard. If Mithrandir hadn't been safe, Aragorn wouldn't be either. Who knew what other tricks the balrog had up its sleeve?

Mithrandir tried to hoist himself up and for a moment I genuinely believed that he would pull himself up and that he would walk out of here alive. It was but a fool's hope. He could not hold on for long, his age finally catching up to him and his old bones not being able to hold his weight.

"Fly, you fools!" His voice echoed through the cavern, before letting himself fall down after his foe. Frodo's cry at Mithrandir's downfall was heart chattering and it brought me to tears. The ranger in my arms kept staring at the place where Mithrandir disappeared. I gently pulled him with me to the light at the top of some stairs, nodding at Boromir, who was waiting by the exit, to go ahead. It was not safe to linger here. Ducking as arrows clattered around us, we both ran to the exit of the cave. The light of the outside world greeted us with open arms and it blinded me for a moment, yet it did not bring me the joy that it would have brought me a day ago, for we entered the mines with ten and came out with only nine.


	8. AN bad news

**Author's note**

Hey guys

This is not pleasant news. I've received some bad commentary on this story and it made me think about something. I'm putting this story on hold for a while. I don't know how long it'll be until I update again but I can tell you it will be when I'm finished with writing and am satisfied with everything.

Right now, I need some time to properly think Celiel through. I need to work out her character and personality more and if I continue updating, I won't be able to look at the beginning of this story and change it properly.

It can be a month from now, six months, a year or even more (though I really doubt that) but I WILL continue. When I start writing again, I'll have rewritten the most of my things and will restart with this story from the beginning. You don't have to worry, though. The main plot will be the same.

I'm sorry for doing this but I'm just not satisfied with how Celiel's turned out to be. I read back now and see some things that desperately need changing. If any of you have any ideas or request for certain situations to come into the story, don't hesitate to tell me your ideas but for now, I won't be updating any time soon.

I really hope you stay tuned because I will return

Carox


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